One of the joys of keeping up with old High School friends via email is that we can tell each other wild stories of what happened during our High School days in the mid-50′s and it’s hard to dispute what is said because we either can’t remember (at our age) what actually happened or the stories have been embellished so much during the years that we don’t recognize fact from fiction. .

I have mentioned in earlier Blogs that I have been drawing cartoons promoting the football games at Bisbee High School. I have been sending them to one of my good friend, Carol Loy who still lives in Bisbe and is the Emperor (Queen, Dictator, Boss, President, etc … don’t know her exact title) of the Bisbee High School Alumni Association. She relayed a big “thank you” to me from the Athletic Director for helping them. I told her that I didn’t need any thanks but I thought it would be appropriate for her to start a fund raising drive to erect a statue of me to be placed in a prominent place in the town of Bisbee..

Carol thought it was a great idea and suggested that I travel to Bisbee to pose for the statue. Being the frugal person I am, I drew an exact replica of myself and sent it to her as a blueprint for the sculpture. For some unknown reason Carol was very critical of the picture I sent her (which hurt my feelings deeply) and she felt it her duty to tell two more of my old High School buddies what I had done.  Ted Sorich (a multi-millionaire and 28 handicap  golfer who resides in Tucson) just couldn’t wait to jump at the chance to criticize my physique. When Ted was in High School he went by the nickname of “98 pound weakling” which was taken from the Charles Atlas advertisement. I have forgiven Ted for his critical remarks about me because I realize now that his life was scarred from being friends with a hunk like me. All the High School girls literally ran over Ted trying to be near me..

Another fried to whom Carol blabbed was Dr. George Hershey who resides in Flagstaff, Arizona and is the team physician for Northern Arizona University. Being the true professional that George is, he was not quite as critical of my drawing. He did say that he didn’t quite remember me being that well-muscled but he knew I was a man of honor and integrity and felt that I wouldn’t fib about the way I looked in High School. .

Needless to say, I have survived all the snide remarks from my three friends and as far as I know the fund-raising drive will commence shortly to honor one of Bisbee High School’s greatest alumni. All donations for my statue, large or small, will be apperciated. I think Carol will begin shorly to have nationwide Tv ads promoting this glorious event..

Sam Moore Cartoonist

I mentioned in previous posts that my hometown of Bisbee, Arizona was located in Southeast Arizona on the Mexican border. Until about the mid 1970′s when the mines closed, Bisbee was known as the copper capital of the United States. Millions of tons of copper ore were mined there since the 1800′s.
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Twenty-two miles to the East of Bisbee, also on the Mexican border was the town of Douglas. All of the ore mined at Bisbee was sent via railroad cars to Douglas where there was a large smelter. Needless to say, all the people in Bisbee were well-kept, practiced good hygiene and were all good, upstanding citizens. The people in Douglas, however, were a different breed. They all smelled like smelter smoke and only bathed when the soot from the smelter turned them completely black.
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For over 100 years the Douglas Bulldogs and the Bisbee High Pumas have been fierce rivals. Even to this day, although the smelter is no longer in operation and the people living there have significantly improved their hygiene, there is no greater rivalry to be found in the state of Arizona.
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The annual Bisbee Puma vs Douglas Bulldog game will be taking place a few weeks from now and the cartoon I drew promoting this game gives insight as to who the eventual victor will be. The winner of the game will have possession of the copper pick trophy until the following year.
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Beat the Bulldogs